Incumbent Local Exchange Carriers (ILECs), Competitive Local Exchange Carriers (CLECs) and other Service Providers strive to deploy the most cost effective networks possible that provide broadband service links. Cost effectiveness is a relative term often measured by comparing the cost of equipment and material (also known as Capital Expenses CAPEX), the cost of service maintenance and operations (also known as Operational Expenses OPEX) and the cost of missed revenue generating opportunity due to deployment delays of alternative and competing network solutions. These cost comparisons are typically complex and difficult to obtain due to the nature of the broadband service links between a network's core and a building or a premise. One problem for Service Providers of broadband service links stems from requirements to connect different types of communication equipment using multiple protocol conversions and communication link conversions. Typically, conversions are a large source of expense for ILECs, CLECs and other Service Providers.
For example, a broadband service link between a network's core and a building or premise may consist of three communication segments (fiber-wireless-fiber) each with multiple protocol and communication link conversions. At the network core, a SONET/SDH fiber may be connected to ATM communication equipment that performs add-drop-mux (ADM) functions in accordance with a SONET/SDH protocol. Line cards within the ATM communication equipment aggregate, switch and convert traffic to other protocols such as Ethernet, which are used across fiber distribution links such as Gigabit Ethernet (GbE). The fiber distribution links are connected to other communication equipment that perform wireless base-station functions that may include yet another protocol conversion to support the broadband wireless access (BWA) protocol in-use. The broadband service link propagates over the air. A wireless terminal terminates the BWA protocol in-use and converts back to an Ethernet or SONET/SDH protocol. The wireless terminal distributes broadband services across fiber links to a network terminal equipment residing at a building or premise. In this example, the broadband service links undergoes multiple protocol conversions and communication link conversions between the network's core and a premise. Each protocol conversion increases a Service Provider's CAPEX and OPEX expense of a fiber network.
Additionally, Service Providers are encumbered with obtaining physical rights of way when deploying fiber. The fiber can be directly buried, placed in ducts or strung aerially along the right of way. Licenses for rights of way may need to be negotiated with several municipalities or local governments, and may require the purchase or lease of property. Deploying fiber around rivers, water ways, canyons, mountains and other physical obstacles adds to the complexity of securing right of ways. Rights of way issues increase the deployment cost, a Service Provider's CAPEX and OPEX, of a fiber network.
Furthermore, optical signal transmissions in optical fiber networks have limited optical power and thus have limited range. In passive optical networks, optical signals are split passively to increase the number of end terminals or clients. However, limited optical power budgets limit the number of clients and the reach of the network. There may be a trade-off between the number of clients on the network and the area of coverage of the network. For example, a Service Provider may need to choose between a network with twice as many clients but half the range of coverage and a network with half as many clients but with twice the range of coverage.
There is a need to extend or augment the number of clients, network area of coverage or circumvent physical rights of way obstacles when Service Providers deploy passive optical network fiber links in a manner that minimizes the number of protocol conversions.